The Beach, The Beach, FINALLY the beach

But I’ve just been too busy playing in, by, near and with the ocean to get this blog posted. So here it goes in a whooosh of days which is how it seems to me now. Time definitely flies when you are having a good time.This is post one of two. Don’t want to overwhelm you with too many fantastic days at once. J

On TUESDAY, it was a LONG 68 miles.

We left Jonathan Dickinson State Park and only had to drive 68 miles straight up the coast to get to Sebastian Inlet. 2+ HOURS later we sighed and understood that going up Highway 1 on the East Coast of Florida was no picnic even in the middle of the day on Tuesday in late February. Stoplight and go and stores and cars and stoplight and go and ………… Why aren’t all these people at work? :-)

BUT we made it and pulled into site 49. The sites aren’t large here but

they are just steps away from the inlet and easy access to the beach. This is one site I won’t be spending much time at. J

After yesterday’s big paddle day and today’s tiring drive, David’s was ready for a nap.

I was ready for THE BEACH.

So after getting moderately set up, he hit the bedroom; I tip toed out, taking my phone and my beach supplies.

It was 3:30 by the time I got there but the surf, the sand, the surfers and the sanderlings were all just as they should be. I was in heaven.

You know how perfect it is to be back in the company of a wonderful friend? Then you know how I felt being back home on an Atlantic Ocean Beach. Nothing is finer for me. Especially when the beach is pretty much deserted except for a few fellow lovers.

I stayed until the sun was very low in the sky and it was definitely cooling off. I had my towel over my legs. Others had their feathers and wet suits.

It both invigorates me and soothes my soul like nothing else.

Feels like I’ve been away a long time and like I never left.

Wednesday, we were out for the sunrise.

It was pretty foggy and cloudy, not the best sunrise. But any sunrise over the ocean is a great sunrise.

There were heavy clouds at the horizon so we didn’t see the sun rise from the water, just peek out from the clouds.

There were few other people out on the beach with their gear this early.

But more were fishing on the pier and one was already in the water as the sun came up.

Mostly we had the beach all to ourselves.

I intended to do my 4+ mile run on the beach today but it wasn’t long after I set out that I realized the sand was just too soft everywhere and my ankle wasn’t going to be interested in this.

So we headed back for Winnona. David dropped me off at the A1 bike path since neither section of the park has enough roads to run on without going back and forth, back and forth. The temperature climbed. Not much of a breeze here. It was a hot run on a street side path and although there were not many cars, it just wasn’t what I’d been hoping for. So on the way back I saw an entrance to the park that said bike path and I took it. WHAT a mistake! Turns out it winds back and forth and added quite a bit to a run I was already sick of. But the worst thing was that with the increasing temperatures, the mosquitoes were out in force. The backs of my legs looked like I had giant chicken pox by the time I got back. Probably no more running in this park. If I come back and stay longer, I’ll have to come up with an alternative run.

After breakfast, David took a nap, I worked on catching up with blog posts and just after noon we went back down to the beach.

This time I set out for a walk in the water. The waves were wonderful, the water temperature perfect.

I walked a long way, to the end of the park property. David zoomed inon me coming back.

This fella kept coming up and leaving and returning. Never quite believing no one was going to give him anything or leave anything laying around. Many see him as just an ordinary gull, a nuisance, I think how amazingly color coordinated he is. Legs, match beak, match eyes. His eyes are trimmed in a red/orange and so is the inside of his mouth. The beautiful details of nature.

Oh boy, does that look good. When I'm at the beach on a beautiful day, it feels like nothing else in my life is quite as real as this place I'm at. I don't have to put myself into a meditative state, the beach does it for me.